music
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music
The art of arranging tones and sounds in a particular way to create melody, harmony, and rhythm. Also refers to an individual musical work.
Beim Autofahren höre ich am liebsten laute Musik.
When driving, I like listening to loud music best.
When talking about music as a general concept, the word is often used without an article. When referring to a specific piece or style, the article is used.
Er studiert Musik.
He studies music.
'Musik-' is a very productive word component. Many words related to music begin with it, for example 'Musikinstrument' (musical instrument), 'Musikschule' (music school), or 'Musikgeschmack' (taste in music).
Mein Sohn lernt in der Musikschule Gitarre.
My son is learning guitar at music school.
Common verbs with 'Musik' are 'Musik hören' (to listen to music), to enjoy it, and 'Musik machen' (to make music), to create it yourself.
Am Wochenende mache ich gerne mit Freunden Musik.
On the weekend I like making music with friends.
When 'der Musik' is mentioned in the context of musicians reading notes, it often means the sheet music. Verbs like 'schauen' (to look), 'lesen' (to read), or 'umblättern' (to turn the page) point to this meaning.
Der Pianist bat jemanden, für ihn die Musik umzublättern.
The pianist asked someone to turn the sheet music for him.
song
'die Musik' and 'das Lied' both belong to the area of sounds, melody, and rhythm. 'Musik' is the broader term: it can mean classical music, pop, background music, or music without singing. 'Lied' is more specific and means a piece of music with lyrics that can be sung. Learners may confuse the words because a song is, of course, music. But not all music is a song. When you are speaking generally about listening or playing, 'Musik' usually fits. When you mean a single sung piece, 'Lied' is more precise.
Beim Kochen hört die Fahrerin gern ruhige Musik.
The driver likes listening to calm music while cooking.
Ich habe für die Feier ein altes Lied ausgesucht, das alle mitsingen können.
I chose an old song for the celebration that everyone can sing along to.